Friday ceremony will honor Staff Sergeant Zachary Wobler

OTTAWA — At the age of 24, Staff Sergeant Zachary Wobler died as a
result of bullet wounds received from insurgent fire on Feb. 6, 2005 at
Mosul, Iraq, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on Feb. 18
that same year. He was a member of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division
based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

In life during his military
career, Wobler was named Paratrooper of the Year in 2002. He was awarded
a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, posthumously. This weekend, the
1998 Ottawa-Glandorf High School graduate will be honored further in
Putnam County. This Friday at 6 p.m., Zachary Wobler will join the names
of past veterans that appear in the casualties listing which hangs in
the Putnam County Courthouse.

The Courthouse ceremony will begin
with the posting of the colors, the Pledge of Allegiance (led by
Wobler’s friend and high school classmate Kurt Nienberg) and Wobler’s
nephew, Zachary.

A passage written by Wobler will be read by his
brother Brandon and their father Tony Wobler will stand as guest
speaker. Special guest Carol McKeen will offer a song dedication. A
21-gun salute and the playing of taps will precede a reception with
refreshments.

An honor guard will line the Courthouse entrance off
N. Hickory Street, and visitors may enter there beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The entrance is handicap-accessible. There is no dress code, said Putnam
County Veterans Service Officers Joe Moenter and Kristi Powell.

“We just want people to come and be part of the ceremony,” said Powell.

On
Saturday, Pike Run Golf Club will be the site for the 7th Annual ZAH
(Zach’s a Hero) Day Golf Tournament, a benefit established by Wobler’s
friends to perpetuate his memory through scholarship. Proceeds from the
tournament will be donated to the Zachary Wobler Scholarship, the
Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation and the First Fold Foundation
Group. Start time is 1 p.m. with a cost of $35 per golfer.

San
Diego-based First Fold, Inc. is a new partner to ZAH Day. The
organization’s mission is “The preservation of the memory of those who
perished and their sacrifice in the fight to preserve life and our
freedom, to insure that they will not be forgotten…” First Fold fulfills
this mission through the establishment of new scholarships and by
contributing to existing scholarships for the families of fallen
warriors and first responders. First Fold will also take part in
Friday’s ceremony where they will make a special presentation.